5.10 · Why Do We Put Things Off?

Why Do We Put Things Off?

Tutor (Professor Reed): OK, everyone, let’s begin. I’m Professor Reed, and today’s question is a friendly one: why do we put things off? I’ll go first. I was going to grade your reports last night, but I reorganized my bookshelf instead.

Student (Jess): That sounds familiar, Professor. I’m in mechanical and automotive engineering, and on Monday I was going to start my brake-test report. But first I cleaned my whole desk. Then I cleaned my keyboard.

Tutor (Professor Reed): A classic, Jess! You put off the big task by doing a small, useful one. Oliver, what about you?

Student (Oliver): I’ve been putting off the written part of my motor project for three weeks. I study electromechanical engineering. On Friday I was about to get down to it, and then a friend invited me to play basketball.

Tutor (Professor Reed): And did you get down to it?

Student (Oliver): Not exactly. I played basketball on Friday, and again on Saturday.

Student (Clara): For me, the hard part is the start. I’m studying smart industrial technologies, and the first ten minutes are the worst. But once I get down to it, I can keep at it for hours.

Tutor (Professor Reed): That’s an important point, Clara. Starting is the problem, not working. Now, here’s something researchers have found. Psychologists asked final-year students how long their thesis would take. On average, the students said thirty-four days. It actually took fifty-six.

Student (Jess): So we plan as if nothing will go wrong.

Tutor (Professor Reed): Exactly. On average, they thought they would finish in about a month. Then the real world arrived. It’s called the planning fallacy.

Student (Jess): My brain always says, “Tomorrow you’ll feel more like it.”

Tutor (Professor Reed): And tomorrow-you never does! We imagine a future self with more energy, more time and more discipline. That person doesn’t exist yet, so a small start today works better than a perfect start tomorrow.

Student (Oliver): So should I just give up on my project? It feels too big.

Tutor (Professor Reed): No, Oliver, that’s a different thing. Putting off means postponing. Giving up means stopping. What helps you carry on when a job feels too big?

Student (Clara): I make the first step tiny. I put my phone in another room and work for ten minutes. Then I often carry on for an hour.

Student (Jess): I study with a friend in the library. Nobody wants to be the first to give up.

Student (Oliver): Maybe I’ll put the written part in my calendar, like a class.

Tutor (Professor Reed): Good. Make it tiny, make it social, make it a fixed appointment. And one more tool: be kind to yourself. In one study, students who forgave themselves for putting off studying for their first exam tended to put off studying less for the second.

Student (Clara): That’s a relief. I always feel bad about it, and that makes it harder to start.

Tutor (Professor Reed): Exactly, Clara. The bad feeling is part of the problem, not part of the cure. So, for next class, choose one thing you’ve been putting off. Get down to it for ten minutes, and then decide whether to keep at it.